Top things to do on Mother’s Day 2018

Dundas Castle, near Edinburgh, Scotland, afternoon tea. Things to do Mother’s Day
Guests at the Boathouse in the grounds of Dundas Castle can receive a free afternoon tea hamper

This Mothering Sunday, spoil your mum with afternoon tea, an empowering festival or a gin tasting. Here is our pick of the top things to do on Mother’s Day

Mother’s Day 2018 falls on Sunday 11 March in the UK. If you’re looking for inspiration on how to treat your mum, then help is at hand with our guide to some of the best British things to do on Mother’s Day.

Castle House restaurant,Hereford, Great Inns of Britain
The elegant restaurant at Castle House

Treat mum to lunch with the Great Inns of Britain

There‘s no better way to admire the beautiful snowy landscape than from the comfort of a cosy pub. This Mother’s Day – snow or no snow – the lovely Castle House in Hereford will be serving up a special three-course lunch from the two AA Rosette award-winning kitchen of Executive Head Chef Claire Nicholls for just £30 per head (£15 for under-12s).

With views over Hereford’s castle moat and just a short walk from the city’s magnificent cathedral, it’s a great location to take in some local heritage. Can’t make it all the way to Hereford? Then check out some of the other Great Inns of Britain for special Mother’s Day offers.

Mother’s Day afternoon tea at the Royal Lancaster

You can’t go wrong with afternoon tea, and this one is served in the elegant Hyde Lobby Bar of the Royal Lancaster hotel.

The tempting sandwich selection sees luxurious twists on classics, including a ’Cornetto of home-smoked salmon with caviar‘ and a ’warm tartlet of Coronation chicken and a choux bun filled with Barradale free-range eggs‘.

Plus, each booking over the weekend will be entered into a prize draw to win a day’s spa access to the amazing K West Hotel & Spa, which even has its own snow room. The winning mum will be able to choose a complimentary treatment and will be given a bag of chocolate truffles to take home.

Boathouse, Dundas Castle, near Edinburgh, Scotland, UK. Things to do Mother’s Day
The Boathouse sits on a private loch in the grounds of Dundas Castle

Book your own Boathouse

Perhaps your mum could do with a break this spring. The secluded Boathouse in the grounds of Dundas Castle, just outside Edinburgh, is offering a free afternoon tea hamper for all stays booked before 11 March and taken before the end of May 2018.

The hamper will be delivered to the door of the one-bed cottage, which sits on the edge of a private loch. Contents of the hamper will be supplied by The Little Bakery of South Queensferry and will include cupcakes, scones with homemade jam and the obligatory Scottish shortbread, alongside teasecco – a specialty tea blend from The Wee Tea Company.

Sutton Hoo. Credit: National Trust Images/Joe Cornish
Sutton Hoo. Credit: National Trust Images/Joe Cornish

Step back in time at Sutton Hoo

While the Anglo-Saxons didn’t quite celebrate Mother’s Day the way we do today, there is no shortage of insight into the role of motherhood during this period of history at the National Trust-managed site of Sutton Hoo.

Over the weekend of 10-11 March, from 10.30am-5pm, you can treat your mum to a day of discovery at this special heritage attraction and (for a donation) your mum will even be able to take home a hand-tied flower posy as a souvenir.

Make your mum go WOW

What better way to celebrate the role of the most important woman in your life than at the Women of the World Festival – the Southbank Centre’s annual celebration of womanhood (particularly poignant in this, the centenary year since women first won the vote).

From 7-11 March, there will be insightful talks and workshops by leading artists, writers, politicians, comedians and activists on everything from Black Lives Matter to gender equality.

Silent Pool gin |World gin day | Britain's best gin distilleries. Things to do Mother’s Day
Credit: Philip Traill

It‘s gin’clock this Mother’s Day

Once known as Mother’s Ruin, today gin is the fashionable drink of choice of ladies who lunch, so why not book your mother on a tour of her favourite distillery?

Surrey-based distillery Silent Pool offers 90-minute tours for the ‘ginterested’ for under £17. Tours will take you through how the award-winning gin is made as well as tell the story of the historic site of Silent Pool itself. Tours also include a tasting of the full range of Silent Pool gins.